Take up the Whole Armor of God

Ephesians 6 and the Call to Spiritual Warfare

Good morning beloved hope that Our worship together has ministered to your heart as it ministers to the Lord's heart also. Please turn your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6. We are almost at the conclusion of our series in the book of Ephesians.

And please do stand when you have that reading starting in Ephesians chapter 6. Starting in verse 10 hear ye the word of the Lord. Finally be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand or stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. But against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic powers over this present darkness Against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God That you may be able to withstand in that evil day having done all to stand firm stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and as shoes for your feet having put on The readiness given by the gospel of peace in all circumstances.

Take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the Saints and also for me.

That words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim The mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. Amen, this is the word of the Lord.

You may be seated Gracious God, we come before you again pleading The mercies of the blood of Jesus over your people this morning. But not only the mercies that you provide through the shed blood of your son.

But the power and the anointing that comes in the blood of Jesus grant us that peace that surpasses all understanding and make us ready Lord for holy action as We examine your word. May we learn to put on the whole armor of God that we may be will stand on that evil day.

Grant us even now as we speak these things in Jesus name. Amen. It's no mystery that the Apostle Paul opening again in these verses is Calling for the strength and the perseverance of the Saints. He is calling For his for the people of God to ready themselves arm themselves for holy warfare.

Brethren, if it has not sunk in yet after the last several sermons. Maybe even some of the circumstances you've encountered in your life this week but we are indeed in a conflict and it's a conflict bigger than the one that you read about or hear about in the news in regard to that which is happening with Russia and Ukraine.

Even our president talking about how close we are to being to a nuclear Armageddon or friends, we have an actual Armageddon at the gates and God has given us all that we need for life and godliness to persevere even on to the other side of that Armageddon.

Where there will be a new world a world of no more pain no more suffering no more hurting no more no more sorrow no more tears in Fact on that great day on the other side of the true conflict. Will be the words of the one who sits on a throne who says come I am making all things new and I will wipe away every tear from your eyes and death shall be no more.

Truly all the enemies of God will be underneath the feet of King Jesus. But brethren, we are in a war even now as we speak and If we want to see on that great day the vindication of God of his name and of his people We would do well to remind ourselves To put on the whole armor of God.

Why is it important that we as Christians take up the whole armor of God? Notice what is indicated in these verses starting again in verse 13 therefore. And Paul uses this word quite a bit in the book of Ephesians.

He's used it several times just in this chapter. Therefore take up the whole armor of God. Therefore proceeds that which came before it and what proceeds that therefore is what we find in verse 12 where it says for we do Not wrestle against flesh and blood.

But against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic powers over this present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil into heavenly places. Knowing therefore where your enemy is and how they operate.

We must therefore take on and put on the whole armor of God again, therefore comes after you come to recognize the grim powers of darkness that are indeed our foes is. When you come to realize that there's a cosmic struggle at play not just One that we can see of our eyes in the geopolitical sphere of the world.

But one which is even darker which is more grim which is more dangerous for though When girl worldly governments are in conflict people lose their lives and that is a horrendous atrocity. The greatest atrocity is when one loses his soul to the depths and the grimness of hell and.

So we must put on this armor this armor is a protection for us for the people of God. But one may ask him you may ask yourself this question. What why do we have to put on armor of God? Like why are we called to warfare?

Why like why can't we just live in peace? Isn't Jesus the Prince of Peace and isn't he just gonna give us peace and everything's gonna be all you know hunky-dory from there. Now that's what some Christian churches teach today.

That's what you'll see in some circles in Christendom in America today that if you become a Christian it'll be easy if all you got to do is just say this prayer repeat after me and then you're in the club and You've got your your stick at your ticket to heaven stamped and and you're good to go you can have now an easy life a life of pleasure of greatness and and God is gonna be for you not against you and God's gonna be your cosmic cheerleader and everything's gonna be Great, and it's gonna be wonderful.

And in some regard those things may be true, but ultimately our life the Christian life is one marked of hardship. It's one marked of difficulty. It is a hard thing to be a Christian in this fallen world.

Because we have a foe and this foe Who rules over nations? This foe of whom the scripture says the whole world is in the hand of the wicked one of Whom it says of this foe that he is indeed the God of this age who has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.

So that they may not see the glorious light of the gospel of Christ. So great is our foe and so ancient is he? That he knows Things that you do not. He's more powerful than you are yet. By the grace that God has given and provided to Christians through Jesus Christ.

He's given us weapons of warfare. Though the Christian life is not an easy one. It is one that comes with an equipping by the Spirit of God. God has not promised you an easy life, but he has promised to equip you for a difficult life.

He has promised to equip you and part of the equipping for the Christian is to put on to take up the whole Armor of God and I love the emphasis that Paul has put on this so far. Because he says in verse 11 put on the whole armor of God and he says it again put on take up the whole armor of God.

Not to take up just parts of it because let's be honest as Christians. It can be easy to grow lethargic to Decrease in our zeal and love for the word and for the church. It's easy to let our zeal cool off.

Therefore maybe one week we will forget to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Maybe then we'll forget to put on our spiritual shoes of the gospel of peace. Maybe then we'll forget to put on the belt of truth.

And then certainly what's not far away is the helmet of salvation the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. It is easy to forget. If one has serves in times of conflict, they can fall into a false sense of security when things are quiet.

When things are not being disturbed when there is a ceasefire and there'll be seasons in your life where there will seem to be a calmness a Ceasefire where everything will seem to be going great and well and we forget in those times to equip ourselves With the graces that God has provided for us in the armor the whole armor of God.

Today is just the first part of this sermon next week. We'll finish off the entire armor of God. So I'm just wanting to call it today take up the partial armor of God, but no, it's the whole armor. Next week we'll finish it but we're gonna be examining more closely just verses 13 to 15 and the aspects of the armor that we see in These verses again verse 13 therefore taking take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand.

Here's the purpose. Here's why you must put on the whole armor so that you may withstand. So if you're following along in today's teaching it is only with the whole armor of God. So the whole armor of God that we can with stand.

It's only when you're armed correctly for battle that you can engage the enemy. It's only when you are truly wearing the full armor of God that you'll be able to withstand the Attacks of the enemy and the attacks of the enemy are varied and they are many for instance as Fellow humans.

We all have our Condition weak and mired by the fall and The enemy will introduce temptations into your life. That may even seem gradual I mean not even seem that big as pastor Colleen just taught from the Catechism it could start with a lie it can start with introducing just a little white lie here not being totally honest about something and Then these little white lies these little sins that we consider little little sins You know begin to to grow in mass and like a cancer they become bigger and bigger and they begin to Have a domino effect in every other aspect of our life and and it starts small.

That's one of the tactics of the enemy is that the enemy knows how to make people fall. And he'll start in the small things of life. And it's in the small things of life that we don't pay much attention to.

So that's not a problem. It's just a little bit here a little bit there and Because we're not armed with the full armor of God. We don't see the threat that's before us and we don't. We don't act quickly to to cut off that sin to repent of it to turn it away.

But instead we allow it to infiltrate other aspects of our life and like a cancer will eventually Lead us to death. Therefore we must know that it is our duty and our call to withstand. So that we may not fall fall into the temptations of the enemy or fall into Into despair but rather that we can be fastened that we can be strengthened in the inner man to put on the Lord Jesus Christ to be strengthened by the strength of his might that he provides through the gospel truth.

So that we can do all that we can on that evil day that evil day being either the day of temptation the day of sin or the day in which this conflict this cosmic conflict comes to a boiling point and Yet, whatever that day be We as Christians can be equipped with this with the whole armor of God's that we may be able to withstand on That evil day.

I forgot who it was, but there's a great preacher who once said That there are two days that matter today for the Bible says that while it is still called today do not harden your hearts as in the days of the rebellion and Then there's another day that matters and it's that day when we stand before him Brother in order to stand approved in in Christ on that day.

You must stand approved in him today. And in order to stand approved in him today You must repent of your sins trust in the gospel. Turn to Jesus Christ and in turning to him allow him Allow him and receive the Impartation of this armor that he provides that he gives because it's the armor of God not the armor of the pastor.

Not the armor of the Christian. It's not the armor of the individual. It's the armor of God He provides and he provides all that we need for life and godliness in Christ Jesus. Therefore stand firm in the gospel stand firm in Jesus that you may have all that you need To push back against this present darkness.

The Belt of Truth and the Authority of God's Word

Verse 14 says stand therefore Having fastened on the belt of what? Truth truth. Once you write that in the next part there the belt of truth. It's interesting and you look at the ancient depiction of a Roman legion Roman soldier and you notice how they used to dress and you know for us 21st century folks you might giggle a little bit because it almost looks like they're wearing a dress and.

And in some regard it kind of looks like a dress but one of the features of a Roman soldiers dress or his Uniform is that he had to have a belt around his waist obviously. More than just to keep pants up because they weren't really wearing pants as we know them today, but it was really to Have the camp of the capacity and capability of hoisting his weapon his sword by his side.

So before we can even get to the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God We must understand that we need a foundation of truth. Truth is of the utmost importance. God is a God of truth Jesus Christ said of himself.

I am the way the truth and the life. No one cometh to the Father except by me. God is a God of truth and truth matters and he's revealed to us his truth through his Word. I'm reminded of the high priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17 17 He says father your word is truth pointing to the fact that God's Word is truth and Powerful and it is indeed our guide in the midst of warfare against our enemies.

So what we do what we do practically as Christians is when we Read things in the media or we look at different varying religions or doctrines. This book is our standard this is the standard his truth and If you cannot have the Word of God as foundational truth in your life There's no way any other aspect of the armor of God will serve you.

Well You will not be able to go into war Holding your weapons the weapons of your warfare. If you do not have a solid foundation of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus is himself the truth.

When I was a Jehovah's Witness We used to call ourselves in the Jehovah's Witness religions. We used to say that we were the truth and Anytime witness would ask you how long have you been in the truth?

They've basically what they're saying is how long have you been a Jehovah Witness? How long have you been in the organization of the Watchtower Society? Which is the truth and so this idea of the truth kind of took on a bit a life of its own in the organization.

And and we and we knew that this was inside lingo for the religion for the organization. And it began to dawn on me as a young man that the truth is not a religion. It's not a church. It's not an organization.

But the truth is a person and this person has a name and his name is Jesus. Do you know him today? Do you know this Jesus? Do you know the one who is indeed the truth? Objectively the truth not subjectively.

This may be true for me or that true for you but he who truly Created and fashioned the universe who came into his own Creation through the Virgin Mary who lived a holy perfect blameless life that you could not live.

Who died the death that you deserved who was raised again in the third day? Who's now ascended at the right hand of the Father this Jesus is? The truth. And It's only when you put him on when you put on the Lord Jesus Christ that you're able to have a Foundation not just for a worldview not just for doctrine but for our warfare against the enemy.

This Is such an important truth that we know Jesus for he is the one who has said of himself. That you shall know the truth. The truth shall set you free. Now, you know this truth even the truth of God's gospel in his son Jesus the truth of God's Word Is of utmost importance.

You're following along the belt of truth reminds us of the truthfulness of God's Word. Do you acknowledge that? These are the words of the Living God. That God has spoken. That God has revealed himself that God has given us a sure word for our salvation for our deliverance and for our warfare as Christians.

And if we believe that this is true That this book is true that it is inspired of God. Then that means it has implications for all of life that we ought to be living life based upon these this inspired text.

The inspired text of God's Word. As Paul puts it in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. All scripture is God breathed. It's inspired of God and it's beneficial for teaching for approving for disciplining for setting matter straight and To equip the man of God for all things.

Are you ready for your warfare? Against the enemy. You must put on the truth of God's armor the truth of his Word. We also see in Ephesians chapter 6 after we see the admonition to put on or fasten the belt of truth the truth of the gospel the truth of his Word.

The Breastplate of Righteousness and the Righteousness of Christ

And having put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteous right then the next part here the breastplate of righteousness. What does a breastplate do again. If you look at the depiction as Paul likely has in mind a picture of a Roman soldier.

Which is a helpful depiction the breastplate even today if you're a member of the military you must put on your breastplate in order to protect you from bullets or from enemy combatants. And similarly in the first century Roman soldiers had to put on a Breastplate in order to protect them from arrows and from swords.

If a arrow came and hits you on the breastplate it was made out of a certain metal a strong metal alloy that would be able to protect your vital organs and that's the whole purpose of wearing a a vest or a Breastplate in the ancient texts is to protect your vital organs from damage in conflict.

Similarly, we have received this breastplate of righteousness to protect our heart our spiritual heart the inner man the true self. You receive this breastplate in order to be a protection to protect the heart from loving sin.

Because the enemy Satan the devil is like a roaring lion waiting to devour and he has in his quiver. He has arrows fiery darts that he will launch in your direction. Whether it be temptation of greed.

Temptation of money temptation of sexual impurity temptations of all sorts. He knows how to get to your heart. He knows what it takes to make you fall. Do not think and overestimate yourself. Do not think that oh, well, he doesn't know how to do this.

He doesn't he won't be able to make me fall. Let he Who is walking watch how he walks lest he fall? This is why we must put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect the heart for the heart. It is from the heart.

Proverbs 4 23 says that is indeed the wellspring the fountain of life and Jesus says that is of the heart that comes all types of sins and impurities. Sexual morality adultery. Murder envy strife all these things come from the heart.

Therefore what it is that we must do is we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Put him on put on the breastplate of righteousness. This is not a righteousness that you receive by doing good works either.

Not a righteousness that you gain not a righteousness that you accumulate not a righteousness that you can buy or sell or trade. But rather this is the righteousness of Christ Christ perfect righteousness.

Applied imputed to you. It's his righteousness. There'll be a protection to your heart because your heart is desperately wicked. Your heart is wicked. You ever heard I'm sure you have you've heard this advice before maybe from a secular friend.

Maybe from a Disney movie and it goes kind of like this do whatever you want and just follow your heart. You ever got that advice before? Yeah worst advice ever worse advice. Don't follow your heart. Don't follow it.

Why. Because your heart is the wellspring of your life and your life is totally Depraved. You are indeed a son or daughter of Adam. You've inherited his nature under his headship yet in Christ. What is so marvelous about the gospel is That your unrighteousness was traded for his righteousness.

Jesus lived a holy perfect life the life that you could not live and Indeed what he does that he then grants you his righteousness. So on that great day that we spoke about on that day when you stand before him.

You have no righteousness to stand out on your own no merit that you can gather or muster. Bible says in Isaiah 63 or 64 that your your works are like filthy rags before him filthy rags and yet What Jesus does is that he takes your filthy rags?

And he washes it in his blood. And he declares you righteous. And not only does he declare you righteous the doctrine justification. But he begins to work in your heart to sanctify you to turn you into the image of Christ.

So that on that day when you stand before God, he sees you not for the wretch that you truly are. But rather he sees you as a son or daughter of the Most High Washed under the blood of Jesus. Amen. This is the righteousness that you must put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

This righteousness Is something that we see prefigured throughout the Old Testament as it is referenced to the Messiah if you can turn to Isaiah chapter 11 and as the 11th chapter we see a prophetic word from the Prophet Isaiah concerning the Messiah and look at one of the hallmarks of the ministry of the Messiah in Isaiah chapter 11 verse 5.

Speaking of the root and the offshoot of the stump of Jesse on whom the Spirit of the Lord will dwell it says in verse 5 speaking of the Messiah righteousness shall be the belt of his waist and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Righteousness Faithfulness, these will be the hallmarks of the ministries of the Messiah. The Messiah will be the one who will be righteous. Who will be faithful and he will then in turn grant his faithfulness his righteousness on To you you don't have to turn to burn as you have 59.

It says something similar to that as you have 59 verse 17. It says He referring to the Messiah and the ministry of the Messiah. He put on righteousness as a breastplate. And a helmet of salvation on his head.

And he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and he wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. This is indeed the righteousness and the zeal of the Lord of hosts the righteousness of Christ who indeed puts himself on a right a right a Breastplate of righteousness and he then in turn offers it to you.

Christ is offering his righteousness. Put it on. Put on his righteousness. We're approaching Halloween and This is a time in which many kids will buy costumes and put on costumes. You ever observed a little kid if you put a costume on him at whether it be Batman Superman Iron Man.

He really for a few minutes really thinks that he's that superhero. Right, he's acting and he's behaving as if he's Superman as if he's Batman and he'll start chasing you around. He'll start beating up his little sister who he thinks is a bad guy he'll start to put on the traits and characteristics of this superhero and friends when we put on the breastplate of righteousness we begin to put on the beautiful traits of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We begin to act more like him. We begin to see the world as he sees the world. We begin to behave and see things as Christ would see them. And this is the great blessing and benefit of putting on the whole armor of God putting on the breastplate of righteousness so that we may in turn be righteous and Have our hearts protected from the love and the pursuit of sin.

In Psalm 119 the psalmist asks the question, how can a young man keep his way pure? How can a young man keep his way from sinning? This obviously applies to not just young men, but to everyone he says.

By learning to love your word and to store it in our hearts. This is how we become righteous. This is how we put on the breastplate of righteousness is by receiving that justification through faith but then also taking the Word of God and storing it in our hearts.

So that even when Jesus the great Savior was confronted with the possibility of sin through the temptation of the enemy. What did Jesus do in response? He rebuked the devil by quoting God's Word. God's Word was the defense of his righteousness.

He defended his righteousness by appealing to the Word. May you also? Appeal to God's Word so that you may be righteous as You endeavor to stay clear from temptation and from the works of the enemy. This is the beauty of the breastplate of righteousness and yet It doesn't end there.

The Gospel of Peace and the Church's Mission to Evangelize

In Ephesians 6 the Apostle Paul also gives us more insight as to what this Armor and its fullness looks like. It's not just having a Belt on it's not just having a breastplate of righteousness but it's also as Shoes verse 15 and as shoes for your feet having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

You need the gospel of peace in your life. The gospel of peace. There's a that is our shoe. It is our sandal. It is good for the feet. Now, I'm not a person. I don't particularly like feet. I don't like even like my own feet, but I'm reminded of what the scripture says in Romans chapter 10 of Those who bring good news.

How beautiful are those feet? Those feet who bring good news Need good footwear. Think of what in the ancient context. It would have looked like to be a herald of the gospel. Gospel in the Roman context being someone who brings good news.

Likely of a conquest they would have to travel great distances in the pursuit of bringing good news. They had to be prepared to walk to run to be in difficult terrain over a long period of time. So it was also of the early disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he chose whom he sent out into the world to be evangelizers of the kingdom of God.

He sent them out into difficult terrain difficult territory and it's hard on the feet and yet God provides all that we need for life and godliness even for our feet and. Our feet are important instruments in life to get us from point A to B.

But it's also important for spiritual fitness because it is what gets us from door to door. It is what gets us from person to person so that we may bring forth the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. As a church we have now.

For the last several months have been going around in our neighborhood preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to our neighbors. Introducing ourselves to our neighbors as a church that's here that stands on the gospel that loves them that wants to evangelize them that wants to Be a blessing to this community.

You know how I noticed yesterday as I was coming to church in the morning for the food ministry and I noticed that Jehovah Witnesses are back and the Jehovah Witnesses are knocking on doors, too and. And I kind of chuckled myself because for two years during the pandemic they have not knocked on doors.

And so now they gotta play catch-up with us. How beautiful are the feet? That bring good news. How beautiful the feet that bring good news. We must continue to bring this good news to the entire Community of Lakewood village, but not only stop there.

Not only stop there. I went to a Baptist Church once in East Hartford, Connecticut. One of my supervisors was going to this church and she was a lovely Baptist lady and. And so my wife and I we went and checked her church out and one of the things that struck me is that they're very Evangelistic Church, and they are like Baptists through and through and one of the things that I kind of found tacky.

But I but I also kind of loved at the same time was this church had a like a titan Tron. So so I won't I won't put that in the budget for next year. I promise but He did a titan Tron and in it showed the number of houses.

They've knocked on in the community. How many houses knocked on and I think at that point they're like almost a million houses that they had knocked on. Pretty incredible and That's and that's the zeal that I want us to have as a church brethren.

I want us to have a zeal that we don't just stop at 300 400 500 doors but Lord willing that We begin this movement that truly Brings the feet of gospel proclaimers to every person in the world. That's the goal is to bring this good news to the ends of the earth.

That's our mission. That's why we exist as a church as a Great Commission focused church. It's to bring forward this good news of the gospel to every person to every man woman and child. So that Christ can be faithfully proclaimed and preached.

This is the goal of the Christian life and of the Christian Church is to make him known. Therefore for our feet we must put on the gospel of peace. And I promise you this and the Lord makes this promise in his word and all the promises that he makes are sure That he will bless your obedience and That with the blessing he offers his peace he offers his peace as We see from the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 4 that we can receive this peace that surpasses all Understanding.

Well, we are in the will of God when we're doing what God requires. There's a peace that is associated with that. Isn't there? Doesn't your life just feel way more peaceful when you know, you're doing what God requires.

It's usually when you know that you're not doing what God requires when that peace is Taken away and instead what you have is uncertainty chaos pain suffering. But even if we suffer and we know we're doing it for Christ's kingdom.

There's a peace that comes with it. There's a peace that surpasses Understanding we can't explain it. We can't always quantify it and yet it's available for you and for me. But we must put on the gospel.

Put it on our feet so that it may carry us it may bring us To men women and children who need to hear this good news so day two may have peace. Peace for their life peace for their soul and peace with God.

This is indeed what we've been called to. So if you're following along the last part our shoes are the gospel of what peace peace. It's no wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples Peace.

I give you peace. I leave you. It's this peace that we also desperately need and want in life. What a privilege it is then. For us as kingdom proclaimers as Christians who are evangelistic. To knock on people's doors.

We don't know what's on the other side of that door. We don't know what that person is facing. But I can probably bet you what? Bet you this that. Most of the people that we encounter are looking for the same thing.

They're looking for peace looking for joy. They're looking for happiness and friends. We have in our possession the key to all these things and more. Amen. No wonder then the powers of darkness the principalities.

That are at play in the heavenly places or at war against us as they try to keep us. From proclaiming this great good news and also from allowing others from hearing it. So I would tell you this church that the way that we that the church and I say we I mean the church in North America as a whole the way we've Been doing ministry for the last hundred years is wrong.

We build a building we expect people to come into the building and that's evangelism. No, no, no friends. We can't expect the godless to come to us. We must go to the godless and proclaim the gospel of peace.

We must be a church that not sits and waits but a church that's active in going and reaching the lost. That's the mission. It's not to sit and stay and then maybe people will come and When you look at the trajectory of church growth even for our church right now.

Most people who are coming to our church who are visiting our church are already believers, which is fantastic. But guess what? We're not interested in and just taking other sheep. We want to find new sheep find men and women who not know Jesus Christ and who we proclaim Jesus to so they may know Him and the power of his resurrection and may share in the eternal life that he offers through the gospel.

We want to make disciples. We want to see new people come to faith in Jesus Christ. Especially here in Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. This place needs the gospel. Are you ready to put on? The gospel are you ready to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace who may bring this good news?

To all those who are here in the Bay Area. What would it look like if all Christians Took seriously the Great Commission here in the Bay Area. What would it look like if Christians instead of wanting to be comfortable?

Suffered a little bit of uncomfortability in order to bring forward this gospel good news. By knocking on doors by evangelizing at the food ministry. By evangelizing in your workplace in your context at school at work the grocery store wherever you may be.

For we put on this gospel armor not just part of the day, but all the day we must put this on daily. Not just stop when we get home or not just stop when we're at the grocery store. But when we find opportunity and when the Lord opens opportunity.

Are we making the full use of those opportunities that we have to share Jesus and the gospel of reconciliation? I'll be honest with you. I failed yesterday in doing that we were at the grocery store at Walmart and those of Won't go to details a very belligerent woman in front of us who is being very rude to us.

And I and I at that moment, you know so there there's pastor Brian and then there's old Brian and An old Brian is the kid that grew up in Hartford, Connecticut in the hood who don't like people talking smack who doesn't like it when people gets an attitude of me and I and I sometimes that old man rears his ugly head and.

And I should have in hindsight as I was thinking about this. Over the last, you know several hours, you know, I should have just preached the gospel to this woman. And I feel like man that was a missed opportunity.